Perennials this Month - October 1996

Dr. Leonard P. Perry, Extension Associate Professor, University of Vermont

Plant of the Month: Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue', Sunny Border Blue Speedwell

height x width: 24" x 18"

flowers: navy blue, mid to late summer

hardiness: USDA zones 4-9

interest: *1993 Perennial Plant of the Year (Perennial Plant Assn.)
*introduced in 1946 by Robert Bennerup, founder of Sunny Border Nurseries (wholesale), Kensington, CT and nearly lost from cultivation until reintroduced by son Pierre
*more dense, compact, floriferous, darker color than most Speedwells
*stiff stems make good cut flower, lasts 2 weeks with preservative

More new or proven perennials!


*Hemerocallis 'Apple Tart'-- dark red with green throat, mid June to mid July; 28-30" x 24"; tetraploid 6" flowers, introduced in 1974.
*Aster pringlei 'Monte Cassino'-- 30-36" upright, strong plant covered with semi-double white blossoms early to mid fall; often grown and used in cut flower trade.
*Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'-- relatively new and first of compact, dwarf New England asters, 18-24" x 30-36"; covered with deep purple flowers late summer to mid fall; excellent with Sedum 'Autumn Joy' or Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro'.

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